Lamp-bracket



No. 608,|38. Patented July 26, I898. J. B. TIMBERLAKE.

LAMP BRACKET.

[Application filed Dec. 14, 1895.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet l.

Patented luly 26, I898.

J. B. TIMBERLAKE.

LAMP BRACKET.

(Application filed Dec. 14, 1895.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Waive 6668:

\ lllll H .rearward, and afterward into substantially rrn rric.

LAM P-BRACKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,138, dated July 26, 1898. Application filed December 14, 1895. Serial No. 572,194. (No model.) Patented in Clanada January 23, 1897, No. 54,748.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN B. TIMBERLAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at J ackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lamp-Brackets, (patented in Canada January 23, 1807, No. 54,748,) of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a perspective view of a lampbracket embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of Fig. 1, having added thereto a reflector and a lamp and chimney, partly in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a simplified form. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of Fig. 3, having added thereto a lamp, a reflector, and a chimney, partly in dotted lines. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are perspective views of modifications.

Like reference-letters refer to similar parts wherever used.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A A A is a horizontal clasp adapted to grip firmly and support the fount of an ordinary lamp A the position of which is indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2, the lower part of such lamps being reduced in diameter, as at a, whether they be made of glass or metal, they being sometimes provided with a bead or rib o which constitutes an enlargement of the part a, which latter is usually of substantially uniform diameter throughout-that is to say, cylindrical.

A convenient form of clasp, as shown in the drawings, is made of wire and of such diameter as to fit closely the cylindrical part a, and owing to the elasticity of the wire the arms A A, which constitute the shank portion, may be spread apart and the diameter of the ring-like part A so increased as to permit the part c of the lamp to be readily inserted within the clamp or removed therefrom.

In making the bracket I usually form the ring-like part A from the central portion of a piece of Wire of the required length, and then bend the arms or shank parts A A U-shaped extensions or loops, and combine therewith upright legs forming a carrier. The loops B 13 project downward below the adjacent bottom part of the fount, thence outward, upward, and inward, preferably on curved lines, and are connected with loops B B by legs Z) Z), the ends or arms Z) I) of the wire lying in horizontal planes.

0 is a sleeve surrounding the ends of the arms and serving to hold them in proper alinement, as well as hiding the joint from sight, and performing another function, which will be hereinafter explained, though I do not wish to be limited to the use of this particular fastening for the ends of the arms,

scribed parts what I prefer to call a carrier,

which is made of wire. The part D is doubled back upon itself at, preferably, the middle of a piece of wire of suitable length. This doubled section is bent backward to form an ofiset cl, the two legs being then divergent and extended downward, as indicated at d" d, thus forming a downwardly-opening slot or throat B adapted to receive a wall pro.- jection, say a screw, as is indicated at b and I prefer to make the throat inverted-V-shaped to facilitate hanging the lamp upon the wall projection. WVhen thus suspended, the lamp would be subject to a pendulum-like movement about the projection, and to prevent this I propose to employ stops Z7 preferably headed, engaging with one or more of the upright legs 17, about as indicated, so that the overlapping heads thereof will also prevent the frame from being pulled from the wall when the lamp is hung upon the wall projection, but can be released therefrom by lifting the frame until the U-shaped extensions will pass over the heads of the stops 19 (See Fig. 2.) Under ordinary circumstances Ipropose to employ nails having quite large heads or screws driven into the Wall or other lampsupport to serve as said stops.

D D are links or legs formed of the doubled wire D, which is preferably wrapped around the arms Z), as at d (F, the lower ends of the legs being connected with the lateral extensions at the angles a a by means of eyes 01 d or in some other convenient way. The said angles are formed by bending the wire outward at the rear ends of the shank portions A A.

It will be understood that the legs D may be conveniently grasped by the hand when it is desired to use the lamp as a hand-lamp or for otherwise moving it in addition to their performing a useful function in supporting the lamp upon a wall. Hence I prefer to designate those parts, together with the loop-like extensions, a carrier.

In order to more effectually grip the clasp upon the lamp, I combine with the legs D a clamp or supplemental gripper, a convenient form of which is indicated at F f, consisting of a bar or tie F, with hooks or loops f f at its ends taking hold of and sliding up and down upon said legs, so that after moving the clamp up to or near the upper ends of the legs their lower ends can be spread apart to increase the diameter of the clasp A, as may be required, and then after the lamp is in place in the clasp the clamp may be moved down and hold the parts more firmly in place and with a practically positive grip, especially when the size of the lamp is such that the clamp can be moved down to or near the lower ends of the legs D, and by reason of the coils or wraps (Z engaging with the ends of the sleeve (3 the-grip will not be materially weakened when the clamp is half-way down. (See Fig. 2.) I prefer to make the clamp of a piece of metal which is rectangular in cross-section, bending the ends to fit the legs and bending the center up into an inverted-U shape to form a seat to fit down over a headed pin or wall projection and behind the head to prevent the lamp from swinging out from the wall instead of using the stop W, as is indicated at 19 Fig. 2, this way of holding the lamp having the advantage that the stop is out of sight behind the lamp. By reason of the ends I) being firmly united by the sleeve 0 the resiliency of the wire throughout its entire length is utilized for gripping the lamp, and such grip is reinforced by the resiliency of the legs D, even though the clamp F be at their upper ends and they are pressed against the sleeve.

If the clamp be part way downsay midway, as indicated in the drawings-then the sleeve may serve to increase the resistance of the legs D to the spreading or expanding of the clasp by operating at each end as a fulcrum for each leg instead of each leg extending practically to the point b although in practice I prefer to solder the coils, the arms I), and the sleeve to each other, and it is obvious that if the diameter of the fount be such that it be not convenient to slide the clamp F all the way down the pressure or grip of the ring-like clasp upon said fount will be increased by reason of the upper ends of the legs being held firmly against moving toward each other as the clamp is forced downward.

Three thin gs are desirable in a lamp-bracket as regards the reflector. First, it should be supported in practically the horizontal plane of the flame of the lamp; secondly, its support should be of substantially the same diameter in cross-section throughout; thirdly, there should be room enough between the refiector and the carrier to permit a person to grasp the carrier readily without liability of having his fingers come in contact with the reflector, which when the lamp is burning soon becomes heated. These three things I secure. The first will be fully explained hereinafter, the second I accomplish by firmly securing the two lines of wire to each other, and the third end I attain by making the angular offset d ofsuch length as may be found desirable for that purpose.

E is a sleeve or socket on the doubled end of the wire, and E the reflector, mounted on the socket, where the parts are or may be soldered together, or the reflector may be mounted directly on the wire, the sleeve being omitted.

I will now proceed to describe a simplified construction which embodies part of my invention. I

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the clasp A is in construction and operation substantially like the corresponding part in Figs. 1 and 2, as are the arms A A in the full lines, the dotted lines showing said arms inclined from the ringlike part upward, supporting the fount in a lowerplane relative to the wall projection and the reflector in order to have the flame at the right height relatively to the reflector when the character of the burner renders such modification desirable. At the rear ends of these arms the wire is bent downward below the plane of the bottom of the adjacent part of the fount, then outward, upward, and then inward toward each other, preferably on curved lines, to form arms Z2 N, then upward into legs D D, substantially like those designated above by the same letters, all of the parts in rear of the arms A A being preferably in a common vertical plane, so as to lie fiat against the wall. In many cases the bottom of the fount is slightly concave, and in other instances the bottom is formed with a slight rib around it, and oil which has collected in a small quantity on said bottom, as it sometimes will, in such manner that if the fount were set down flat on a table, for instance, it would soil the table, will not do so if the U- shaped lateral extensions project slightly be low the plane of the adjacent port-ion of the fount. The upper ends 61 d of D converge until they meet and form a seat for a wall projection, continuing forward by an ofiset d and thence upward, as at D, to support a reflector E, having a socket 6. (See Fig. 4:.) In order to properly secure the ends of the wire at this point, I weld them together from about the upper end of the seat above referred to to their extremities, as is indicated in the drawings, thus making the entire bracket one integral piece of metal, doing away with the necessity of any contrivance for holding the cut ends of the wire to each other and providingamuch more permanent and durable union of the ends than could be attained in any other way of which I have knowledge. Moreoventhe additional strength of union which is obtained by welding the ends together is especially useful in a lampbracket, because it enables me to make the article from a comparatively short piece of wire and yet secure the requisite strength and elasticity to retain the fount in position without liability of accidental displacement,

even though the bracket and lamp be turned upside down while being held in the hand of the person carrying them; but I do not wish to be limited to welding the ends of the wire, because some of the advantages of my invention may be attained though said ends be secured to each other in diiferent ways-for instance, as follows:

In Fig. 5 the upper ends of the two legs (1 d are twisted together, (see cl",) one wire stopping at the end of the twist by preference, as a single wire projecting upward to support the reflector will, I think, be found better than two, as not being liable to spread apart at that point.

In Fig. (3 the end of one wire is bent around the other in the form of a ring (1 and in Fig. 7, d is a sleeve or collar fitting closely around the legs. This sleeve is to be put over the ends-while they are straight and can there 'fore be heavy enough to support them firmly.

In all of the forms shown the resiliency of a long stretch of wire is made available-that is to say, a length equal to that of the ringlike part which surrounds the fount, the arms A A, the loops'B B, and the links or legs D D, which reinforce the grip of the ring-like clasp upon the fount, and, in Figs. 1 and 2, the additional wire used in making the parts Z) 13 b. This construction renders possible the employment of wire of such diameter and stiffness as will insure so firm a grip upon the fount that there will be no liability of the lamp being accidentally displaced from its proper position in the bracket under any of the conditions of actual use. 7

In fact, with the uniformity in the diameter of founts which has been adopted by manufacturers to adapt them for use in my brackets and reasonable care in making the brackets the grip of the ring-like part may be such as to hold the lamp in an inverted position without its falling out of the bracket even when filled with oil.

A number of advantages as regards both economy in construction and mode of operation are incident to my invention over any prior one of which I have knowledge as, for instance, in Patent No. 129,509. get a su'liicient length of wire to insure the In order to tor would be too high above the flame of the lamp; but by forming part of the wire into the U-shaped lateral extensions or loops the legs may be quite short, so that the part D above the seat B is at the right height to receive the reflector in all the constructions.

Another advantage is the increased width of that part of the bracket which lies against the wall or other support and which operates efliciently to supportthe lamp against being swung around from side to side, as about a vertical pivot intersecting the wall projection b and, in addition thereto, in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, of placing the wall projections much farther apart than can be advantageously done when they are required to engage with the legs D, as in Figs. 3 and 4.

What I claim is 1. A lamp-bracket having in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grip the fount, U shaped lateral extensions, upright legs forming a carrier, an inverted-V-shaped seat above the legs to engage with a wall projection, a vertical reflector-support above said seat, and an angular offset between the V- shaped seat and the reflector-support, the legs, the seat, the offset and the reflectorsupport being all formed of the same piece of wire, substantially as set forth.

2. A lamp-bracket having in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grip the fount, arms projecting rearward from the clasp, U-

shaped lateral extensions or loops at the rear ends of said arms, upward and inward disposed carrier-legs, an inverted-V -shaped seat above the legs to engage with a wall projection, a vertical reflector-support above said seat, and an angular offset between the V- shaped seat and the reflector-support, said support being substantially in the horizontal plane of the flame of the lamp, the legs, the seat, the offset and the reflector-support being all formed of the same piece of wire, substantially as set forth.

3. A lamp-bracket having in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grip the fount, arms projecting rearward from the clasp, U- shaped lateral extensions or loops projecting laterally from the arms and downward below the adjacent bottom part of the fount, npwardand inward disposed carrier-1egs which reinforce the grip of the ring-like clasp upon the fount, a seat for a wall projection, and a reflectorsupport which is above the seat and is in substantially the horizontal plane of the flame of the lamp, substantially as set forth.

4. A lamp-bracket having in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grip the fount, U shaped lateral extensions, upright legs forming a carrier, an inverted-\l-shaped seat IIO above the legs to engage with a wall projection, and a reflector-support above the seat, the logs, the seat, and the reflector-support being all formed of a continuous piece of wire, substantially as set forth.

5. A lamp-brackethaving in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grip the fount, U -shaped lateral extensions, upright legs forming a carrier, an inverted-V-shaped seat above the legs to engage with a wall projection, and a reflector-support above said seat, the legs, the seat and the reflector-support all being formed of a continuous piece of wire other than the wire of which the ring-like clasp is made, substantially as set forth.

6. A lamp-bracket having in combination a ring-like clasp adapted to grip the fount, U-shaped lateral extensions connected with the clasp by horizontal arms, upright legs, these parts being formed of one piece of wire, an inverted-V-shaped seat adapted to engage with a wall projection, and downward-projecting legs connecting said seat with the ring-like clasp but made of a separate piece of wire, substantially as set forth.

7. A lamp-bracket having in combination,

a ring-like clasp adapted to grip the fount,

arms projecting rearward and outward, forming angles, a, a, U shaped lateral extensions connected to the arms, upright legs rising from the angles, a, a and an inverted-V-shaped seat adapted to engage with a wall projection, the seat and legs being formed of a continuous piece of wire other than the wire of which the ring-like clasp is made, and a clamp mounted on the legs to resist the expanding of said clasp, substantially as set forth.

8. A lamp-bracket having in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grip the fount, upright legs connected at their lower ends to said clasp and formed at their upper ends into an inverted-\I-shaped seat adapted to engage with a wall projection, and a vertically-sliding clamp mounted on the legs to resist the expanding of said clasp, substantially as set forth.

9. A lamp-bracket having in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grip the fount, upright legs connected at their lower ends to said clasp and formed at their upper ends into an inverted-V-shaped seat adapted to engage with a wall projection, a verticallysliding clamp mounted on the legs to resist the expanding of said clasp, and a fulcrum be low said seat adapted to increase the resistance of the clamp to the expanding of said clasp, substantially as set forth.

10. A lamp-bracket having in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grip the fount, upright legs connected at their lower endsto the clasp and formed at their upper ends into an inverted-V-shaped seat adapted to engage with a wall projection, and a movable tie connecting the legs and provided with a seat to engage with a wall projection, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN B. TIMBERLAKE. \Vitnesses:

OHAs. H. SMITH, GEO. G. HoBBs. 

